Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Executive Shuffle

A recent Paramount Animation exec looks to be returning to old haunts:

Jared Mass has rejoined Reel FX Animation Studios after recently serving as Vice President at Paramount Animation. Mass, who worked as an executive during his initial stint at the company, will head up Reel FX’s Originals Unit as the organization looks to double down on its original content....

An alumnus of Penn State, Jared Mass has been a development exec for a couple of decades. He spent five years at Walden Media involved with various features, spent close to four years at Reel FX, then moved to Paramount Animation where, among other duties, he shepherded Sherlock Gnomes through production. (Paramount, unfortunately, has not had stellar success with big screen animation. SG collected $74 million against Gnomeo and Juliet's $194 million.)

Animated content has thrived on the internet, so it's not surprising that Reel FX is jumping into the platform with both feet. Being a job shop for entertainment conglomerates takes you only so far in the cash flow department, so it's unsurprising Reel FX is doing more original work, just as it's unsurprising that the studio is opening a facility in Montreal, where Free Money is abundant.